Hopper-slide-control means for shoe-button-fastening machines.



"A. BUEHLER.

HOPPERSLIDE CONTROL MEANS FOR SHOE BUTTON FASTENING-MACHINES.

APPLICATION HLEDJAN. 10. 1916- Patented Mar: 6, 1917.

' Fig.2.

INVENTOR thereof is illustrated in ALBERT BUEHLER,.OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, .BY. MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE TOLEDO BUTTON MACHINE COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

HOPPER-SLIDE-CONTROL MEANS FOR SHOE-BUTTON-FASTENING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Application filed January 10, 1916. Serial 0. 71,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT BUEHLER, a. citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Hopper-Slide-Control Means for Shoe-Button-Fastening Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. f I p This invention relates to shoe button fastening machines and particularly to means for controlling the movements of the slide or button elevating member of the button hopper.

The object of my invention is the provision, in a machine of the class described, of simple and eflicient means which is operable by the movement of a portion of the operating or button setting means to periodically raise the button elevating slide and to cause it to have a predetermined dwell in its raised position, whereby to enhance the practicability and commercial value of machines of this class.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment the accompanying drawings, in which 7 I Figure 1 is a side elevation of the head portion of a machine embodying my invention, with parts broken away and removed,

and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, with parts broken away and removed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the, head frame'of a shoe button fastening machine, and 2 a bracket arm which projects rearwardly from the upper portion of the head frame 1 and forms a button hopper 3 at its rear end in elevated relation to the top of the head frame. A slide or button elevating member 4' is mounted for vertical reciprocatory movements through the central portion of the hopper 3 and is intended, when raised, to elevate one or more buttons in position for such buttons to feed from the hopper through a guide-Way provided therefor, as is well understood in the art.

The movements of the slide 4 are through an opening in the, bottom of the hopper 8, the lower end of the slide being disposed below the hopper and projecting a distance therefrom equal to the stroke of the slide.

5 designates the button setting plunger of the machine, which is mounted for forward and backward reciprocatory movements in the top portion of the head frame 1, and has an arm 6 projecting transverselyfrom its rear end portion and through a registering slot or opening 7 provided in the head frame 1 at one side of the path of movement of the plunger. The plunger 5, in the present instance, has a part projecting through a bottom slot 8 in the head frame and connected by a link 9 to a bell-crank lever 10, which is mounted within the head frame, being fulcrumed thereto as at 11, and has one arm connected in any suitable manner to an operating member, such, for instance, as a foot pedal not shown. It is evident that rocking movements of the lever 10 will communicate reciprocatory movements to the plunger 5, as is well understood in the art.

The means employed for periodically elevating and controlling the movements of the button elevating slide 4 during an operation of the machine, and in which the present invention resides, will now be described. A

lever 12 is fulcrumed to a boss 13 projecting from a side of the bracket 2, in the present instance, and has one arm extending rear- 'ward from its fulcrum and longitudinally slotted, as at 13*, to loosely receive the shank .of a screw 14, which is carried by a boss 15 7 that projects transversely from the lower end of thebutton elevating slide 4. It is thus evident that raising and lowering movements will be communicated to the slide from rocking movements of the lever 12. The other arm of the lever 12'is of L- form, being extended forward under the outer end of the plunger arm 6, when at the limit of its rearward movement, and thence upward in front of said arm, as at 12 and terminates at its free end in an upwardlyand forwardly inclined surface 16.

Upon a forward movement of the plunger 5, thearm 6 thereof is intended to act against the rear edge of the upwardly extending portion 12 of the lever 12, and to effect; a. downward rocking of the forward end of the lever and a consequent raising of the button elevating slide 4:. V The approximate length of the rear edge of the lover part 12 is such that the arm 6 will pass therefrom onto the inclined surface 16 approximately when the slide has been raised to the full extent of its upward movement, the passage of the arm 6 over the inclined surface 16 of the lever serving to maintain the lever and slide at dwell in elevated position during the remaining portion of the forward stroke of the plunger and a corresponding portion of the reverse stroke thereof. The dwell of the slide 4 in elevated position is sufficient to permit the buttons to pass therefrom onto the button delivery way of the hopper.

It is found in practice that my invention provides a hopper slide control mechanism which is positive in its action and causes a proper timing of the movements of the slide with respect to the movements of the button setting plunger, and also obviates the use of separate connecting means between the button elevating slide and foot-treadle customarily employed in machines of this type, thereby simplifying and materially cheapening the construction of the machine.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a button setting machine, the combination with a button elevating slide, and a reciprocally movable button setting plunger, said plunger and slide being movable in dif ferent planes, of a lever directly connecting said. plunger and slide and operable by predetermined movements of said plunger to elevate the slide and control its lowering movements-..

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a button elevating slide, and a reciprocally movable plunger, of means connecting said slide and plunger and operable by predetermined movements of the plunger to elevate the slide and cause it to have a predetermined dwell in elevated position during a continued movement of the plunger.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a button elevating slide, and a button setting mechanism having a plunger, said slide and plunger being reciprocally movable in different planes, of a lever connected at one end to said slide and having its other end angled substantially in L-form and in engagement with said plunger and operable by movements of said plunger in sliding engagement therewith to effect predetermined movements of said slide.

4-. A machine of the class described having a button hopper, a button elevating slide reciprocally movable therein, a head frame, and a member reciprocally movable on said frame, in combination with a lever having one end in connection with said slide and its other end angled substantially in L-form and in sliding engagement with said memher and operable by movements of said memher in sliding engagement therewith to effect and control the raising and lowering movements of said slide, saidlever having a surface with which said member coacts during a predetermined portion of its movement to maintain the slide at dwell in elevated position.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a button elevating slide, and a reciprocally movable plunger, said slide and plunger being movable in different planes, of a lever connecting said slide and plunger and operable by predetermined movements of the plunger to elevate the slide and cause it to have a predetermined dwell in elevated position.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a button elevating slide and a member reciprocally movable in a plane which intersects the plane of movement of said slide and having a part which projects transversely therefrom in substantially a horizontal plane, of i a lever fulcrumed intermediate said slide and member for vertical rocking movements and having one end in connection with the lower end of said slide to vertically move the same when the lever is rocked and having its other end angled and in sliding engagement with said member part whereby-reciprocatory movements of the member impart predetermined rocking movements to the lever.

7 In a machine of the class described, the combination with a button elevating slide and a reciprocally movable member having a part projecting transversely therefrom, said slide and member being movable in different planes, of a lever fulcrumed intermediate said slide and member part for vertical roclc ing movements and having one end in connection with said slide and having its other end transversely angled in advance of said member part in sliding engagement therewith, said lever being operable by movements of said member to impart reciprocatory movements to said slide and having a surface with which said member part coacts to maintain the slide at dwell in elevated position during a predetermined portion of the movement of the member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT BUEHLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

